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Marbled murrelets discovered in Elliott State Forest, put land sale in doubt

murrelet.image.JPG

Nesting marbled murrelets, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, were discovered this past summer in the Elliott State Forest along Oregon's coast.
(ESTHER BURKETT/The Associated Press)

The discovery of threatened marbled murrelet seabirds has cast
uncertainty over a plan to sell state-owned land in the Elliott State Forest in
Coos County.

The protected seabird was spotted this summer by state
surveyors and volunteers with Coast Range Forest Watch, a conservation group
that opposes the sale.

Before the discovery, when logging wouldn't have been
restricted, three tracts for sale in the forest were valued at $22.1 million.
After the endangered species was found, the land's value dropped to $3.6
million, according to state appraisals. Stands occupied by murrelets can't be
logged and are worth less.

The situation is yet another skirmish in Oregon's
long-running conflict between the timber industry and environmental groups
seeking to protect the threatened seabird that nests in coastal forests in
Oregon, Washington and California.

Environmental groups say the discovery and devaluation of
the land should end the state's sale effort. "It would be unconscionable to
sell the land at a drastically discounted price because of the endangered
wildlife that resides there," said Francis Eatherington, conservation director
at Cascadia Wildlands. "This resource belongs to the public."

The state forest tract may still have value for the
timber industry, according to industry representatives who spoke with the state's
appraiser. They told the appraiser that timber could sometimes be thinned or
salvaged even where birds are found. But the appraiser concluded that the
Elliott State Forest tract isn't a good candidate for thinning or salvage
logging.

The state owns some 700,000 acres, including most of
the Elliott State Forest, and uses revenue from mineral and timber leases and
sales on that land to fund public education.

The State Land Board is expected to discuss the land
sale when it meets Dec. 10.